$40 buys a bleacher seat and a lot of Dodger Dogs

Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times

Published 4:00 am, Sunday, January 14, 2007

2007-01-14 04:00:00 PDT Los Angeles -- You won't be able to buy a ticket for under $10 on game day at Dodger Stadium next season, but you will be able to pay $40 for a bleacher seat and an endless supply of Dodger Dogs.

The Dodgers are converting the right-field pavilion into an all-you-can-eat section. They also are raising the price of the cheapest game-day ticket, in the top deck, from $6 to $10, matching the price in the left-field pavilion.

A ticket to the right-field pavilion -- at $35 in advance and $40 on game day -- will entitle fans to an endless supply of ballpark staples, including hot dogs, peanuts and soda but excluding beer, which hasn't been sold in the pavilion for years. The Dodgers tested the concept several times last season.

Fans spend an average of $12.30 on food and drink per game, a major league executive said. The all-in-one package affords fans the opportunity to "spend a few extra dollars and have everything taken care of," said David Carter, executive director of the University of Southern California Sports Business Institute. "Most people probably believe they're into a ballgame for $40, even if they're just in general admission."

The Dodgers raised other game-day prices from $3 to $25 per ticket, with increases ranging from 11 percent to 36 percent.

With the right-field pavilion no longer an option, the number of seats with a game-day price no higher than $10 fell from about 9,500 to about 6,200.